PSNI: Jon Boutcher will not 'speculate' over alleged journalist surveillance

Journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney lodged a complaint after they were targeted in a police operation

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has said the force will not engage in "speculating" about the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) alleged surveillance of journalists.

A court is currently dealing with allegations the PSNI acted unlawfully.

Mr Boutcher is to meet the Policing Board leadership on the matter.

The board has described the talks as "urgent", following claims the PSNI accessed journalists' phones to attempt to uncover sources.

A case is before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in London.

It has been brought by investigative journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, who lodged a complaint after they were targeted in a police operation five years ago.

Former BBC journalist Vincent Kearney presented a Spotlight programme about the Police Ombudsman's Office in 2011

The BBC has also written to the IPT about one of its former journalists, Vincent Kearney, who believes his phone was monitored in 2011.

At a disclosure hearing on Wednesday, a document from 2017 emerged stating that every six months some journalists' phone bills were "cross-referenced" against police telephone numbers.

The document lists eight names, all redacted, which were run through an intelligence system as part of "defence operations" by the PSNI.

The board is seeking assurances that police powers have been used "lawfully and proportionately".

In a statement, Mr Boutcher said: "I am meeting with the chair and vice chair of the Policing Board on Wednesday to discuss a number of matters, which will include recent media commentary around the ongoing Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Chief constable Jon Boutcher had said police will not engage in "speculating" about the surveillance of journalists, while a court deals with allegations they have acted unlawfully

"The Police Service of Northern Ireland will continue to co-operate fully with the IPT and I ask that we wait for that process to conclude before speculating about what might or might not have happened in the past.

"I have written to various bodies that have expressed concern due to the media reporting to reassure them about how the PSNI conducts surveillance."

The IPT case is due for full hearing in October.

The National Union of Journalists and Amnesty International are among organisations which have expressed alarm over what has been emerging during proceedings.